


Arrow Love Shot

by 185cmbaekhyun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Lovers, First Kiss, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pirate!Sehun, Prince!Kai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27368233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/185cmbaekhyun/pseuds/185cmbaekhyun
Summary: Whilst Kai pledged to maintain his kingdom unrivaled and faultless, there was Sehun and his crew, the outsiders who didn't quite belong anywhere other than on their ship.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 13
Kudos: 84
Collections: monthlysekai's Love at First...





	Arrow Love Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Love at first 'arrow' written for monthlysekai's Challenge #1

  
  
  


The last thing Kai remembered was the bitter taste of the poison on his tongue that ruthlessly put him to sleep. It still felt heavy and numb in his mouth. As his eyes confusedly adjusted to the darkness around him, dust had him choking, his throat feeling dry and sore. 

His hands were tied too. 

In a moment of obvious despair, it dawned on him. He'd been kidnapped. 

The tight grip of the ropes around his wrists were scratching his skin as he struggled against them, refusing to unwind. He could scream for help, but Kai wore his pride as his crown, so he held his cries back, and continued trashing against the restraints.

His cough teetered off in a humorless, begrudging laugh. As the crown prince, that came as no surprise to Kai. What bothered him the most was that even after many years of tiresome training and strict precautions, he still let himself be caught. That was beyond unwise for a prince. He, who was expected to lead and protect an entire kingdom in the near future, should be no less than untouchable. 

Under his current circumstance, that statement sounded like an absolute joke. He couldn't even fend for himself. However, he was still willing to combat. If he was facing death, he'd make sure he'd perish with honor. 

And if fate would be any kind to him and he did succeed in escaping, Kai would also make sure they had a taste of his vengeful wrath on the battlefield. A prince mustn't be afraid to declare war, after all. And now he just happened to have plenty of reasons to do so.

He sensed shuffling, stealth footsteps coming from upstairs, cracking the wooden floor above him. Kai froze immediately. The footsteps grew closer and closer, until the door was wrenched open, casting light into the cold, dark room. Kai squinted against the brightness, but remained silent and still as he watched a tall, lean figure shuffle into view.

The intruder strode in with elegance and confidence, but there was also something about the way he moved that made him look like he wore a cloak of danger. When he recognized the face looking down at him, Kai sucked in a breath.

It was Sehun, so-called ruler of the sea. The disreputable, outlaw pirate was widely known within the kingdom, a legend himself, feared by many, also worshipped by others. 

Nonetheless, Kai definitely belonged to the class that despised him. Whilst Kai pledged to maintain his kingdom unrivaled and faultless, there was Sehun and his crew, the outsiders who didn't quite belong anywhere other than on their ship, often trespassing, breaking rules, corrupting Kai's people, disrupting the society he and his family devotedly built over the centuries. 

"I should have known you were behind this. I'll make sure you'll regret it." Kai groaned, refusing to let the pirate read through his whirlwind of emotions. 

Sehun tilted his head, as though amused, flashing him a smirk. "I'm not to be blamed. I'm here to rescue you." He crouched low, stared at the prince intently, studying him, waiting for a reaction. Taken aback, Kai's eyes widened before his brow creased skeptically.

"You don't fool me. I'll demand your head on a stake." He spat, unrelenting. Sehun scoffed, reaching out to grab Kai's bounded wrists. 

"Your majesty, you have quite the mouth." Sehun slashed through the ropes with his blade, calm as ever, but even when the shreds of rope fell from Kai's wrists, Sehun's hands remained, his touch almost too delicate, too warm.

Starstruck, Kai didn't find the strength to fight either. Sehun was just as gorgeous as the tales described him, by all the men and women that the pirate's bedded. Which were quite a lot, for that matter. 

"I did not need your rescuing. I can protect myself." Kai found himself saying, clearing his throat in order to thicken his weak voice. 

"Have you lost the ability to say thank you, your majesty?" Sehun cracked a dazzling smile at the prince, and for a moment, Kai fell into a trance, trapped into the pirate's charms.

Where to a prince everything else seemed mundane, Sehun was fascinating. But that was what it was. Just a spell. And Kai was aware of it. He was unfazed by it too. Or so he believed.

When Sehun offered him a hand to stand, Jongin waved it away. "I will not fall for your tricks. I don't trust you." 

Sehun's face hardened suddenly, taken by surprise. His brows knitted and his jaw clenched. Kai had angered the pirate. 

"Shall I leave you here to die, then?" Sehun asked through gritted teeth, but before Kai could utter an affronted response, a third party barged into the room. Kai yelped, facing the bandit whom he remembered very vividly trudging through the chambers of his palace multiple times, as a guard. A disguise, apparently. 

The man whisked off a sword, wielded it towards the prince. He glanced over at the pirate, and his knuckles trembled around the grip of his sword, he seemed terror-struck, to say the least.

"O-Oh Sehun? How did you get here?" His jittery hands uselessly attempted to tighten around the grip. The man was sweating now, frozen. 

Sehun glanced briefly at Kai, licked his lips nonchalantly. "I must have been mistaken. I shouldn't be here. My apologies. Go ahead and kill him." He said bluntly. The bandit seemed to be struck by sheer confusion.

"B-but… weren't you and your crew on a search party for him ever since we captured him? I thought--"

"Should I kill _you_ instead?" Sehun cut off, voice growing in volume, like a thunder. Even Kai shivered, flabbergasted. He barely registered when the enemy plunged at him, grabbed him roughly by his robes and hauled him against the wall. Kai could only close his eyes and wait for his demise, but all that came was the deadly sound of flesh being brutally pierced, followed by the strangled sound of a gasp.

Upon opening his eyes, he met the man's wide eyes staring at him, an arrow wretched into his neck, through and through. Blood prickled out of the wound, down his neck, gurgling out of his mouth too. Then he collapsed, dead-still to the ground. 

Kai was stoic-shocked. He'd witnessed death before, but none of them left him so _exhilarated_. He stared at the pirate, bow in hand, still leveled at the opponent, standing straight like royalty, as though he just did something plain ordinary, as if killing was one of his hobbies.

"Do you need any other proof of my loyalty, your majesty?" Sehun said, grabbing Kai by the shoulder, shaking him out of his daze. "We need to get out of here right now. This rascal is not working alone."

"H--how?"

"We can sneak out. There's too many of them outside. We're outnumbered." Explained the pirate, flipping his long and black bangs out of his eyes. The motion seemed stunningly like the most superb piece of art. "My ship is nearby. You must stick with me, understood?"

Kai nodded, his knees grew wobbly, his heart pounded madly, but he knew deep down it wasn't just out of fear. He took Sehun's hand, and together they managed to flee unnoticed.

Soon, they were sailing away through the sea, and Kai didn't even question their destination. Unlike before, he felt safe, almost at home, even when his silky, artfully adorned with golden robes didn't quite match the situation, or his surroundings, so to speak. Never before did Kai ever consider riding a pirate's ship and feel this peaceful. The sea calmed down his senses, the soothing swaying of the ship felt as consistent as his desire to be free. He stood at the deck watching the sunset when he noticed the pirate approaching quietly. For a while, they stood shoulder to shoulder in silence, and Kai swore that felt more like wealth than the throne he was supposed to inherit.

"Do you know who?" Was all Kai asked, eyes never leaving the tides of the sea dancing before their eyes. The weather was warm, and the sun shone in a mixture of colors as it went ashore.

"I wish I knew. Probably someone from inside the palace. Someone who wishes to take your place."

"I might have a list of suspects." Kai scoffed, not at all surprised. "I must say thank you, Sehun. For saving my life." He turned to face the pirate, blaming the slight swing of the ship to cause the swirling in his stomach. Sehun chuckled, eyes fixing on the prince. 

"So you do know how to do that?"

"Indeed. What is a prince if he's not thankful for his people? I can pay you whatever amount you please. Just give me a number."

Though that seemed to pique his interest, Sehun hesitated. As a pirate, it was a given he would be extremely cautious about his decisions, about the people he would allow to step foot on his ship. Kai supposed he had some leverage, since he already stood onboard with no restrictions.

"I can give you anything." He added, batting his lashes at the pirate, dimples on display. Princes and Kings had all sorts of weapons for their advantage, but Kai had his looks, and he was overly confident in it.

"Is that so?" Sehun teased, eyes flickering down to Kai's lips. "Then I want one kiss."

A dumbfounded laugh slipped past Kai's lips. Sehun was straightforward and fearless, and that had Kai foolishly dazed, enticed. He swallowed nervously, his cheeks and ears feeling awfully hot. 

"Umm… I'm afraid that's not up for-"

"You said anything. And I don't do well with rejection." Sehun said pointedly, sharp eyes on him. Kai looked away, gnawing at his lip, until he finally caved. 

"Fine. You can have a taste of my lips. As long as you take me home." 

The pirate didn't waste a beat. He slung an arm around Kai's middle and gathered him against his frame, claiming the prince's lips. Kai instantly melted against him, arms looping around the pirate's neck as their mouths moved and fit quite perfectly. Sehun knew how to kiss, demanding but still passionate, deep and long and full of tongue, curling around all the right places in the cave of Kai's warm, whimpering mouth. They kissed until the sun fully retreated, giving way to the moon, and the sea became as dark as the sky.

"Was this the reward you had in mind when you arranged a search party for me?" Kai asked teasingly once they pulled apart, and the shore came into view as the ship approached the beach.

"Not quite. I had this in mind from the first time I laid eyes on you."

Kai shyly buried his face into Sehun's shoulder, unable to detach himself from him just yet. Thankfully, Sehun held him just as tight, fingertips caressing his scalp.

"You wanted this too, didn't you?" Sehun asked, right against his ear, making Kai shiver. "Tell me since when?"

Kai knew the answer now, though all this time he’d misinterpreted it entirely as the opposite feeling. The very first time they met a couple of years ago was when Sehun and his pirates had broken into a royal festival. When Kai had demanded them to leave, Sehun responded by shooting an arrow that went nearly close to scratch the prince's head, hitting the wall behind him instead. That spiked the discord between them, which kept itself ablaze as time went by, growing stronger each time their paths crossed. 

"To be honest… I'm certain it was love at first arrow." 

Sehun pulled away suddenly, with an affectionate, awed smile, soon pressing another heartfelt kiss to Kai’s lips. 

Kai had kept that same arrow tucked under his pillow ever since, vowing to one day capture the pirate, not knowing it would be the other way around, and that he would never want to escape from him. 


End file.
